Vacuum Sealable Container with Internal Pump Mechanism

ABSTRACT

A pump mechanism for vacuum sealing an airtight cavity formed by a container and a lid, including a bore having a first one-way seal allowing air from the airtight cavity to enter the bore and blocking air inside the bore from returning to the airtight cavity and a second one-way seal allowing air inside the bore to leave the bore without returning to the airtight cavity and blocking air outside of the bore from entering the bore, a piston disposed inside the bore, and a chamber of air enclosed by the bore, the first and second one-way seals, and the piston, wherein actuation of the piston in a first direction causes air to evacuate the airtight cavity and enter the chamber through the first one-way seal, and wherein actuation of the piston in a second direction causes air to exit the chamber through the second one-way seal.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/658,330, filed Jul. 24, 2017, entitled “Vacuum Sealable Containerwith Internal Pump Mechanism,” which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/367,541, filed Jul. 27, 2016, entitled “VacuumSealable Container with Internal Pump Mechanism,” and claims priority toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/482,022, filed Apr. 5, 2017,entitled “Vacuum Sealable Container with Internal Pump Mechanism,” eachof which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to the storage of perishableconsumables, and more specifically to a vacuum sealable container, whichpreserves the freshness and usable shelf life of the items therein.

BACKGROUND

Most consumables are perishable. Often, the mode of degeneration intaste, texture, or potency is directly related to air exposure. In somecases, the perceived quality of such attributes (the “freshness”) cansignificantly drop in a matter of days in the presence of ambient air.This is well-known, and many commercial distributors of perishableconsumables employ airtight packaging for their products to retard thedecline in quality associated with air exposure. However, when theseproducts are opened, a prompt decline in freshness begins.

In order to preserve freshness after opening product packaging, manyairtight containers have been developed for home use to store perishableconsumables. Such containers suffer drawbacks, and subsequently fallshort in their ability to significantly impede the decline in freshness.

For instance, some containers are simply airtight. While an airtightseal can be effective in keeping additional air from coming in, thesecontainers still contain ambient air which is replenished each time thecontainer is opened. As a result, there is a continuous presence ofambient air, which contributes to the decline in freshness.

Other containers go a step further. They can be pumped to evacuate theambient air. However, these containers require the use of a separatepumping device every time the container is closed. Regular usagepatterns suggest that such an effort does not correlate with the routinetask of closing a container when the effort involves handling extraparts (e.g., separate pumping hardware). As a result, this feature tendsto be ignored. Many container pumps further require proximity to anelectrical outlet (e.g., for electric pumps). These containers cannot bepumped when outdoors or on the move. Further, some containers come withseparate pumping hardware, which requires unnatural up-and-down pumpingmovements (similar to those required for pumping air into a bicycletire), requiring a hard surface to counteract the force of the pumpingmotions. As a result, the pumping mechanisms are burdensome to use.

Therefore, a need exists for a vacuum sealable container that botheffectively and easily preserves the freshness of perishable consumableswithout the need for separate pumping hardware, access to electricity,or unnatural pumping movements.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some embodiments, a container lid with internal pumpmechanism for vacuum sealing a container includes a base for interfacingwith a container and a housing disposed over the base. The housing andbase are rotatable with respect to each other. There is a bore coupledto the base, and the bore includes a one-way valve at a first end. Theone-way valve allows air to enter through the first end of the bore andblocks air from leaving the first end of the bore. There is an openingat a second end, which allows air to both enter and leave through thesecond end of the bore. A piston is coupled to the housing, including apiston head having a complementary shape to an interior cavity of thebore. The piston is disposed inside the bore between the first end andthe second end of the bore, and a limited compressive seal is disposedon the piston head. The seal forms an airtight seal upon actuation ofthe piston in a first direction away from the first end of the bore, andallows air to pass upon actuation of the piston in a second directiontoward the first end of the bore. A chamber of air is enclosed by thebore, the one-way valve, and the piston head. Actuation of the piston inthe first direction lowers air pressure inside the chamber causing airto enter the chamber through the one-way valve at the first end of thebore. Actuation of the piston in the second direction raises airpressure inside the chamber causing air to exit the chamber through thelimited compressive seal disposed on the piston head.

In accordance with some embodiments, an internal pump mechanism forvacuum sealing an airtight cavity formed by a container and a lidincludes a bore, disposed inside the container or the lid. The mechanismincludes a first one-way seal, allowing air from the airtight cavity toenter the bore, and blocking air inside the bore from returning to theairtight cavity. The mechanism includes a second one-way seal, allowingair inside the bore to leave the bore without returning to the airtightcavity, and blocking air outside of the bore from entering the bore. Themechanism includes a piston, disposed inside the container or the lid,including a piston head having a complementary shape to an interiorcavity of the bore and disposed inside the bore. A chamber of air isenclosed by the bore, the first one-way seal, the second one-way seal,and the piston head. Actuation of the piston in a first direction withrespect to the bore lowers air pressure inside the chamber, causing airto evacuate the airtight cavity and enter the chamber through the firstone-way seal. Actuation of the piston in a second direction with respectto the bore raises air pressure inside the chamber, causing air to exitthe chamber through the second one-way seal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various described embodiments,reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, inconjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numeralsrefer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.

FIG. 1A depicts an exploded perspective view of a vacuum sealablecontainer with an internal pump mechanism in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 1B depicts an exploded perspective view of a vacuum sealablecontainer with an internal pump mechanism and dome valve in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 2A depicts a perspective view of an internal pump mechanismassembly in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2B depicts a cross section view of an internal pump mechanismassembly in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of an assembled vacuum sealablecontainer with an internal pump mechanism in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 4A depicts a cross section view of an assembled vacuum sealablecontainer with an internal pump mechanism in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 4B depicts a cross section view of an assembled vacuum sealablecontainer with an internal pump mechanism and dome valve in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a method of using a vacuum sealable container with aninternal pump mechanism in accordance with some embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detaileddescription, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the various described embodiments. However,it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the variousdescribed embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, andnetworks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarilyobscure aspects of the embodiments.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc.are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, theseelements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contactcould be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact couldbe termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of thevarious described embodiments. The first contact and the second contactare both contacts, but they are not the same contact, unless the contextclearly indicates otherwise.

The terminology used in the description of the various describedembodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in thedescription of the various described embodiments and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to includethe plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as usedherein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or“comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but donot preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when”or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,”depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or“if [a stated condition or event] is detected” is, optionally, construedto mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upondetecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting[the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.

Attention is now directed toward FIG. 1A, which depicts an explodedperspective view of a vacuum sealable container system 100 in accordancewith some embodiments. The system 100 includes a container 110 with aninternal chamber 115, a seal 120, a base plate 130 including a support132, and an aperture 134. The system also includes a one-way valve 140with a disengagement feature 142, a bore 150 (see FIG. 2A) including abottom piece 150 a, a top piece 150 b, a first end 152, a second end154, and an aperture 156. Although depicted here as separate pieces, thebore is typically formed as a single physical component. The systemincludes a piston 160, including a head 162, a seal 164, a centralaperture 166, and a tab 168. The lid 170 includes an aperture 176 and agroove 178. The lid may be rotated in a first direction 172 and a seconddirection 174.

In some embodiments, the container 110 has a geometrically symmetricbody (e.g., a cylinder) enclosed on all sides and one end (e.g., thebottom), with an opening on the other end (e.g., the top). It isappreciated that containers can exist in different shapes and sizes,including squares and rectangles with sharp or rounded corners. Theexact shape of the container is not limiting. The lid 170 has acomplementary shape to the open end of the container, adapted to joinwith the container and create an airtight seal. For example, if thecontainer 110 is a mason jar, the lid 170 is adapted to connect enclosean opening of the mason jar. In some embodiments, the lid 170 isdisposed over the entire open end of container 110, as depicted inFIG. 1. However, in other embodiments, the opening in container 110 islocated elsewhere or has a different shape relative to the end of thecontainer, and lid 170 has a shape that is complementary to the openingin order to allow mating between the container and the lid. In someembodiments, the container 110 and the lid 170 are joined together witha mechanical connection, such as a latch, a clamp, or a catch. In someembodiments, the container 110 includes an elastomeric or otherwiseshock or vibration absorbing material (such as a grommet or rubber grip)on a region of the container that makes resting contact with an externalsurface (such as a table or cup holder), acting as a buffer againstunexpected impacts that may damage the container system.

In some embodiments, mating between the container 110 and the lid 170(or portions thereof, such as the base plate 130) is accomplished withthe seal 120, which stretches to fit over a portion of the lid 170 (orportions thereof, such as the base plate 130). In some embodiments, theseal 120 is a flexible rubber seal. Generally, the seal 120 comprisesany material that provides for a compression seal between the container110 and the lid 170 or portions thereof. In some embodiments, thecontainer 110 has threading around the opening with which to engage theseal 120. In some embodiments, the seal 120 is omitted because thecontainer 110 and the lid 170 are constructed of materials that allowfor an airtight seal to form by virtue of their direct mating.Regardless of the configuration, when the container 110 and the lid 170(or portions thereof) are mated, they form an airtight seal thatpreserves the integrity of a subsequently created internal vacuum, andthe strength of this seal intensifies as the vacuum is created.

In some embodiments, the base plate 130 has a complementary shape to thelid 170 and serves as an anchoring portion of the lid as the lidrotates. Alternatively, if a user prefers to hold the lid 170 steady androtate the container 110, the base plate 130 rotates along with thecontainer, while the lid 170 serves as an anchor. For both of thesecases, the container 110 and the lid 170 rotate with respect to eachother. While the base plate 130 is mechanically coupled to the lid 170,the base plate 130 maintains alignment with the container as thecontainer and the lid rotate with respect to each other. Therefore,parts that are affixed to the base plate 130 (e.g., the bore 150) rotatewith respect to parts that are affixed to the lid 170 (e.g., the piston160). In some embodiments, the support 132 is affixed to the base plate130 and serves as a central rotational support, around which otherfeatures rotate. In some embodiments, the base plate 130 furtherincludes an aperture 134, allowing for passage of air between theinternal chamber 115 and a chamber inside the bore 150, as describedbelow.

In some embodiments, the bore 150 (see FIG. 2A) comprises a bottom piece150 a and a top piece 150 b, as depicted in FIG. 1A. A first end 152 ofthe bore is disposed in a vicinity of an aperture 134, and a second end154 of the bore is disposed elsewhere. The bore 150 is depicted in FIGS.1A and 2A as a portion of a toroidal tube disposed in a semicirclebetween the lid 170 and the base plate 130. Alternatively, the bore 150can have a cross section of any shape, as long as the piston head 162has a complementary shape. Further, while the semicircular footprint ofthe bore 150 is conducive to rotational operation of a piston, the shapeof the bore's footprint can be any shape that accommodates rotationalactuation of a piston. In some embodiments, the bore 150 furtherincludes an aperture 156 disposed in a vicinity of the first end 152,and aligned with the aperture 134 in the base plate 130. Thesemicircular pieces 150 a and 150 b form a bore 150 that is toroidal(e.g., about half of a torus).

For embodiments in which the bore 150 is semicircular, the semicircularfootprint spans a substantial portion of a circle, with a typical arcbeing as short as 130° or as long as 200°. In some embodiments, the arcof the semicircular bore is greater or less than these specificdimensions. The arc angle of the semicircular bore depends on designchoice. For example, the shorter the bore, the less capacity for airevacuation. However, the longer the bore, the more torque is requiredfor actuating the piston through the full length of the bore.

In some embodiments, a one-way valve 140 is disposed between, on, oraround the apertures 134 and 156, and is configured to allow air toleave the chamber 115 through the aperture 134 and enter the bore 150through the aperture 156. The one-way valve 140 is further configured toblock air from traveling in the opposite direction through the apertures156 and 134, which keeps air in the bore 150 from returning to theinternal chamber 115. However, in some embodiments, the one-way valve140 includes a disengagement feature 142. When activated by the pistonhead 162, the disengagement feature 142 opens the valve 140 and allowsair to travel through the apertures 134 and 156 in both directions, asdiscussed below.

In some embodiments, the piston 160 is disposed inside the bore 150,between the lower piece 150 a and the upper piece 150 b. For embodimentsin which the bore 150 is a semicircular bore, the piston head 162 issemicircular and the piston has a shape and a length complementary tothe bore. In some embodiments, the piston 160 includes a centralaperture 166, which is disposed around the support 132. The centralaperture 166 is configured to facilitate rotational actuation of thepiston as the central aperture 166 rotates about the support 132.Additionally or alternatively, the piston 160 can include any supportingstructure that facilitates movement of piston head 162 through theinterior of the bore, as long as the supporting structure allows thepiston to move in two opposing directions (e.g., back and forth) throughthe inside of the bore. In some embodiments, the piston 160 includes atab 168, which, when disposed in a groove 178 of the lid 170, affixesthe piston to the lid, rotationally coupling the piston 160 to the lid170. This allows a user to actuate the piston 160 through the boresimply by rotating the lid 170 (to which the piston is rotationallycoupled) with respect to the container 110 and the base plate 130 (towhich the bore is rotationally coupled).

FIG. 1B depicts an exploded perspective view of a vacuum sealablecontainer system 105 including an optional dome valve release system inaccordance with some embodiments. Features shared with FIG. 1 aresimilarly numbered, and some are not further discussed for purposes ofbrevity. The system 105 additionally includes a dome valve 180, acompression disk 182, and a push button 184. In some embodiments, thedome valve 180 is seated concentrically within the support 132 along acentral axis 190, between the compression disk 182 and the push button184. In some embodiments, the dome valve 180 is a flexible rubber valve.However, it is appreciated that the dome valve 180 can be constructedout of any flexible material that allows it to be compressed. When thedome valve 180 is closed, the valve creates an air-tight seal throughwhich air cannot flow. In some embodiments, the dome valve 180 isnormally closed until a user depresses the push button 184. Downwarddepression of the push button 184 opens the dome valve 180, which allowsair to pass through the valve, thereby relieving any vacuum that may bepresent in the container 110. (As recognized by one of skill in the art,the presence of a “vacuum” means that there is lower air pressure in thecontainer 110 than outside the container.) Absent a vacuum, the lid 170can be opened by the user. However, when a vacuum is present in thecontainer 110, the lid 170 cannot be opened by the user (not withoutsubstantial force). Therefore, when the system 105 is vacuum sealed,depression of the push button 184 (e.g., by a user's finger) relievesthe vacuum and allows the lid to be opened. In some embodiments, thevalve 180 is not a dome valve, and instead is any type of one-way valvethat can be opened upon an externally-exerted pressure (e.g., bydepression of a push button). While the push button 184 is depicted inFIG. 1B as being located in the center of the lid 170, it is appreciatedthat a push button and valve system may alternatively be located inother locations of the lid, such as non-concentric locations on the topor side faces of the lid. In some embodiments, the push button 184includes a lock, which requires a non-intuitive motion (e.g., apush-and-rotate motion) in order to prevent a child or person notfamiliar with such a motion from being able to relieve the vacuum andopen the lid.

In some embodiments, a seal 164 is affixed to the piston head 162. Asthe piston head 162 moves in a first direction 272, the seal 164 forms aseal between the piston head and the interior of the bore. This blocksair from passing from one side of the piston head to the other. As thepiston head 162 moves in a second direction 274, the seal 164 opens andallows air to pass in both directions between the piston head and theinterior of the bore. In some embodiments, the seal 164 is a flexiblerubber O-ring which is stretched to fit in a groove on the piston head162. As the piston head moves in the first direction, the O-ring acts asa seal and blocks air from moving from one side of the piston head tothe other. As the piston head moves in the second direction, the O-ringslips into the channel allowing air to pass between the piston head andthe interior of the bore. As an alternative to a seal 164, a bore 150can include any other means to block air from leaving the bore as thepiston moves in one direction, and to allow air to leave the bore as thepiston moves in another direction. For instance, in some embodiments,the bore 150 includes a second one-way valve (196), disposed between thepiston head 162 and the first end 152 of the bore (on, or around theaperture 198), which is configured to allow air to leave the bore (andexit the lid) but not reenter the bore. For the purposes of thisapplication, a one-way valve 140, a seal 164, an alternative secondone-way valve (196), or any other structure configured to allow the flowof air in one direction while blocking the flow of air in the oppositedirection are all referred to as a “one-way seal.”

In some embodiments, the lid 170 is configured to mate to the base plate130. The mating can be accomplished by the lid and the base platesnapping to each other, or by any other process that allows the lid andthe base plate to be coupled to each while still being allowed to rotatewith respect to each other. In some embodiments, the lid 170 includes anaperture 176, which is disposed on or around the support 132, and allowsthe lid to rotate in opposite directions 172 and 174 around the centrallong axis of the device. In some embodiments, the groove 178 is alignedwith the tab 168, which rotationally couples the piston 160 to the lid170. In other words, as the user rotates the lid, the piston rotatesalong with the lid because the tab 168 moves along with the groove 178.

FIG. 2A depicts a perspective view and FIG. 2B depicts a cross sectionview of an internal pump mechanism assembly in accordance with someembodiments. Features shared with FIGS. 1A and 1B are similarlynumbered, and some are not further discussed for purposes of brevity. Insome embodiments, the piston 160 rotationally actuates in a firstdirection 272 and a second direction 274 through the bore 150 about thecentral axis 190. The piston head 162 and O-ring seal 164 form a limitedcompressive seal with the inner walls of the bore. The piston head 162,the seal 164, the valve 140, and the inner walls of the bore 150 form achamber of enclosed air 215.

When the piston 160 actuates in the first direction 272, the seal 164prevents air from escaping, and the volume of the chamber 215 increases(due to the piston head moving farther away from the bore wall 152). Asthe volume of the chamber 215 increases, the volume of air inside thechamber 215 initially remains the same (because it is blocked fromleaving the chamber by the valve 140 and the seal 164), thereby causinga decrease in air pressure inside the chamber 215. The decrease in airpressure causes air to be drawn out of the container chamber 115 andinto bore chamber 215 through valve 140.

When the piston 160 subsequently actuates in the second direction 274,the volume of bore chamber 215 decreases (due to the piston head movingcloser to the bore wall 152). As the volume of the bore chamber 215decreases, the volume of air inside bore chamber 215 initially remainsthe same (due to being blocked from leaving the chamber by the valve 140and the seal 164), thereby causing an increase in air pressure insidethe bore chamber 215. The increase in air pressure causes the O-ringseal 164 to slip within its groove on the piston head 162 (oralternatively, causes a second valve to open), allowing air inside thebore chamber 215 to bypass the piston head (or alternatively, leavethrough the second valve). The air that passes to the other side of thepiston head is then free to leave through the end 154 of the bore, andeventually into the surrounding environment 415 (see FIG. 4).

Alternatively, when the piston 160 subsequently actuates in the seconddirection 274, the O-ring seal 164 slips within its groove due tofriction on the seal caused by the inner walls of the bore and theseal's placement within the groove, thereby allowing air to bypass thepiston head 162, leave the bore through the end 154, and eventually exitto the surrounding environment 415. When the piston subsequentlyactuates in the first direction 272, the O-ring seal 164 once againbecomes closed.

The piston's completion of an actuation in the first direction 272 and asubsequent actuation in the second direction 274 along the internal faceof the bore completes a cycle.

In some embodiments, the one-way valve 140 is rendered open if thepiston head 162 collides with a disengagement feature 142. In otherwords, if the user actuates the piston in the first direction 272 untilthe piston head reaches the end of the bore, the valve 140 opens andthereby decompresses the container chamber 115, which relieves anypressure differential and allows the user to open the container. Inembodiments that include a dome valve, the piston head 162 is optionallyprevented from making contact with the valve 140 (e.g., by a standoff inthe bore end 152 preventing the piston 160 from actuating all of the waytoward the bore end 152), leaving the dome valve as the preferreddepressurizing option. However, in some embodiments, both options (e.g.,the disengagement feature option and the dome valve option) areavailable, and the piston head 162 is not prevented from colliding withthe disengagement feature 142.

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of an assembled device according tosome embodiments. In this configuration, when the lid 170 is concentricand coincident with the open end of the container 110, the lid isclosed, creating an airtight seal comprising the container 110, the seal120, the base plate 130, and the lid 170. When a user rotates in thedirections 172 and 174, the groove 178 actuates the piston by way of thetab 168, which rotates the piston with respect to the base plate 130. Inthe embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the support 132 enables rotationalmovement of the lid 170 by way of the aperture 176. However, it isappreciated that alternative structures are capable of supportingrotation of a lid with respect to a base plate, and that the exactsupport structure depicted in FIG. 3 is not limiting. In embodimentsincluding a dome valve system as depicted in FIG. 1B, downward forceapplied to the push button 184 in the downward direction 186depressurizes the container.

FIG. 4A illustrates a cross section view of an assembled device 100according to some embodiments. Features shared with FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A,2B, and 3 are similarly numbered, and some are not further discussed forpurposes of brevity. As depicted in FIG. 4A, a volume of air in thecontainer chamber 115 is drawn through a valve 140 into the bore chamber215 upon actuation of the piston in a first direction. The volume of airis subsequently drawn out of the bore chamber 215 and into thesurrounding environment 415, completing a cycle. For each subsequentcycle, more air is drawn out of the container chamber 115, leaving lessair inside of the container and thereby maintaining freshness of anyperishable contents.

FIG. 4B illustrates a cross section view of an assembled device 105including a dome valve system according to some embodiments. Featuresshared with FIG. 4A are similarly numbered, and some are not furtherdiscussed for purposes of brevity. As depicted in FIG. 4B, the domevalve 180 is compressed between the push button 184 and the compressiondisk 182. Downward depression of the push button 184 causes the domevalve 180 to open, allowing air from the surrounding environment 425 tobe drawn into the container through the dome valve (depicted as air435), thereby depressurizing the container. As illustrated in FIG. 4B,when the lid 170 is on the container 110, the bore 150 is at leastpartially inside the container 110.

FIG. 5 depicts a method 500 of using a vacuum sealable container with aninternal pump mechanism in accordance with some embodiments. The methodbegins at step 510, when a user decides to seal the container and beginevacuating air. Initially, the air pressure inside the container is thesame as the air pressure outside the container. In step 520, the userdecides if more vacuum is desired (i.e., whether to evacuate more airfrom the container). If yes, the user grasps the lid in step 530 andapplies an alternating torque about the central long axis to cycle thepump. The user may complete as many cycles as necessary to achieve adesired vacuum, which is dependent on the volume of the container. Whensuch vacuum is achieved, the lid remains fixed to the container. In step540, the user decides if less vacuum is desired (i.e., whether thesealing process is finished or the user wants to open the container). Ifthe user is satisfied with the vacuum level, no further action isrequired and the user is finished in step 550. However, if the userdecides to open the container, the user depressurizes the container instep 560 by activating a disengagement feature as discussed in referenceto FIG. 1A, a dome valve as discussed in reference to FIGS. 1B and 4B,or a combination thereof, thereby allowing the user to open thecontainer in step 570.

By integrating a hand-powered pumping mechanism into a container lid,the various embodiments disclosed herein provide a vacuum sealablecontainer that is both effective (e.g., by removing ambient air from theinterior of the container, thereby creating a vacuum) and easy to use(e.g., by leveraging natural motions inherent in screwing or twisting ona convention lid, by not requiring additional parts external to thecontainer and lid, and by not requiring proximity to an electricaloutlet).

While preferred materials for elements have been described, the deviceis not limited by these materials. Plastics, rubbers, metals, woods, andother materials may comprise some or all of the elements of the variousembodiments of a vacuum sealable container described herein. Further,while embodiments of an internal pump mechanism have been described asbeing integrated into a container lid, it will be readily apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art that embodiments of an internal pumpmechanism can alternatively be integrated into a container, or can beintegrated into a separate stand-alone module that is configured for usewith a separate container, a separate lid, or both a separate containerand a separate lid.

While the various embodiments above have been described as operatingwithout the need for electronic features such as powered pumps, variousembodiments optionally include electronic components in or in proximityto a portion of the lid, the container, or a combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the electronics include a printed circuit assemblywith various electronic components, enabling other features (e.g., anelectronic pressure sensor). In some embodiments, the electronics enablenetwork connectivity. For example, some embodiments include a printedcircuit assembly with an antenna that allows the container system tosend and/or receive data from external devices (e.g., using WiFi orBluetooth). In some embodiments, the data sent includes pressurereadings (e.g., data from a pressure sensor, a barometer, or ahygrometer located inside or in proximity to a pressurized chamber ofthe container system) and/or timer readings (e.g., data pertaining tohow long the container has been pressurized). In some embodiments, thedata received includes a command for controlling an optional actuator toopen a release valve. Additionally or alternatively, the electronicsinclude one or more features (e.g., speakers, light emitting diodes, orany other sound or light source) that produce auditory, visual, and/ortactile notifications at certain times to produce feedback relating toevents. In some embodiments, the events include completion of a pumpcycle, loss of pressure, and/or a passed threshold relating totemperature, pressure, vapor, or volume inside or in proximity to apressurized chamber of the container system. In some embodiments, thecontainer 110 varies in opacity. For embodiments in which a portion ofthe container is translucent, the electronics optionally include a lightsource for illuminating an interior portion of the container. For someof the previously described embodiments, the electronics are powered byan internal power supply such as a disposable or rechargeable battery.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modificationsand variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container lid with internal pump mechanism forvacuum sealing a container, the container lid comprising: a base forinterfacing with the container; a housing disposed over the base, thehousing and base rotatable with respect to each other; a semicircularbore coupled to the base, comprising: a one-way valve at a first end,the one-way valve allowing air to enter through the first end of thebore and blocking air from leaving the first end of the bore, and anopening at a second end, the opening allowing air to both enter andleave through the second end of the bore; a semicircular piston coupledto the housing, comprising: a piston head having a complementary shapeto an interior cavity of the bore and disposed inside the bore betweenthe first end and the second end of the bore; and a seal disposed on thepiston head forming an airtight seal upon rotational actuation of thepiston in a first direction away from the first end of the bore, andallowing air to pass upon rotational actuation of the piston in a seconddirection toward the first end of the bore, the first and seconddirections of rotational actuation being defined by first and secondtwisting directions of the housing with respect to the base; and achamber enclosed by the bore, the one-way valve, and the piston head,wherein rotational actuation of the piston in the first direction lowersair pressure inside the chamber causing air to enter the chamber throughthe one-way valve at the first end of the bore, and wherein rotationalactuation of the piston in the second direction causes air to exit thechamber around the seal disposed on the piston head.